


Matelotage

by Methoxyethane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Matelotage, POV Keith (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Methoxyethane/pseuds/Methoxyethane
Summary: Keith's been sailing these seas for as long as he can remember. Now it's time to consider the scariest thing a pirate could imagine - Commitment.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 181





	Matelotage

The waves outside rolled against the ship, and so with it swung Keith’s tiny bed, ropes creaking under the bed’s weight as it hung from the ceiling and rocked its occupants like the swaying of a cradle. Keith hardly noticed the motion anymore, strange as he had found the beds when he’d first seen them upon joining this particular crew. But the crew was small and the boat was not, so there was plenty of space leftover to improvise beds more comfortable than the typical hammocks, even if they had to hang from the ceilings like chandeliers so that they could rock with the ship’s motion to minimize the risk of falling out of bed when the boat moved.

He’d found a lot of things strange when he’d first gotten here. The lady captain, for starters, was a little on the unusual side, even if there were more female pirates than there were female sailors. But Captain Allura was competent beyond all reason, and so was the rest of her tiny crew, and they had more than enough power and skill to take on even the largest naval and pirate ships.

Keith would know. He’d been the captain of his own crew, their ship named the Blade of Marmora. They’d had the misfortune of running across Allura’s Lion’s Pride in the South Atlantic, and when each ship saw the other’s jolly roger the attack was pretty much mutual, so. Keith couldn’t even blame himself for picking on the wrong target.

The fight had been long and grueling, but when it became obvious that Keith was losing men and Allura’s side was still holding strong even with what should have been a ridiculous disadvantage in size, Keith’s instincts had told him it was time to cut and run. He ordered Antok and the rest of his men back onto their own ship, but before he’d been able to join them in the escape he’d been cut off and surrounded. 

The Blade got away, but Keith was stuck onboard Allura’s ship by himself, and given a simple choice. Join them, or be thrown overboard. Keith took the obvious.

Skip a few years and a few adventures, and here he was now. Waking up to the snores of his bed partner and groggily kicking at him, cramped together on a sweaty mattress that was not designed to hold two grown men.

Keith sat up in bed, Lance groaning at his side. Keith rubbed at his eyes, knowing he must have woken up because he had to go back to work soon. Ships didn’t sail themselves, after all. 

Lance shifted and yawned as he sat up himself, draping himself over Keith’s back and snuggling into the hair sticking to the nape of his neck. “Are we back on already?”

Keith shook his head. “Pidge is on shift now, she’d rather brave hell or highwater than let us be late. We still have a few minutes before she comes down to get us, I think.”

“Mm,” Lance hummed, wrapping his arms around Keith to hold him. “Good. I’m not ready to leave this bed yet.”

Keith smiled. “If you’re angling for more sex, I don’t think we have THAT much time left. And Pidge gets terrifyingly mad when she walks in on us.”

Lance just laughed. “Actually, I was hoping for once we might actually get the chance to talk.”

A dark eyebrow raised, as Keith said, “Lance, it’s a very small crew. We talk to each other all the time.”

“Yeah, but not  _ alone _ ,” Lance argued. “When we’re alone we tend to talk with our bodies. Not that I don’t love it, but.”

“But what?” Keith teased with a smirk. “Got something to say that’s all that terribly important?”

Lance’s grip on Keith tightened. “Actually, kind of, yeah.” 

Keith turned around to look at Lance, seeing that the gunman had a serious glint to his eye for once. “Uh. Really? What’s up?”

Lance was still smiling casually, leaning back in bed to look at Keith. “I was just wondering... Ever thought about matelotage?”

Keith blinked. Then laughed. “What, you’re so sure I’ll get myself killed you wanna marry me and make sure you get my share of profits after I die?”

But Lance didn’t laugh, and his affectionate smile didn’t waver. “I’ll take that to mean you haven’t considered it much.”

The smile fell off Keith’s face. “What, you mean you’re serious? Like, you want to enter a matelotage… with me?”

Lance nodded, eyes sparkling. “We’ve been doing this for a few years now, why not make it official? I like you, Keith. And anything I have, I want to share with you.”

Keith felt heat warming up his cheeks, and his heart beat as loud as cannon fire. 

He didn’t know what to say. This… whatever it was had started out so casually, he’d never anticipated it would get in any ways serious. Not because he didn’t like Lance or anything, but more because Lance was an outrageous flirt who literally hit on the victims their ship plundered mid-battle, and had never seemed like… Well. That much of a romantic.

Or... was that even true, come to think of it? Keith had never given his and Lance’s relationship that much thought, but looking back on it, Keith could remember more than one gesture that stood out as... intimate.

Lance had a habit of collecting shiny things, rings and earrings and any bit of gold he could find that couldn't be directly traded for booze all went onto decorating his body. Keith hadn’t thought twice when that habit had started extending towards Keith as well; Lance continually collecting jewelry and fine blades and giving them to Keith to wear and use. He’d thought at the time that Lance had just run out of room to wear his own jewelry, fingers full of rings and ears heavy with silver, and then when it went on Keith had assumed it to be a possessive trait instead - claiming Keith’s body as his through shared trinkets. In retrospect, though, maybe it had been less possessiveness and more… affectionate. Collecting shiny tidbits and gifting them like a crow would.

He’d taught Keith how to use a gun, too. He had claimed at the time that he was bored and it would give them something to do for a while, and Keith had believed that when Lance’s lessons had largely involved wrapping himself around Keith’s back to guide Keith’s aim while he talked. He’d brushed it off as Lance looking for any excuse to rub himself up against Keith’s body, but then… That hadn’t been the only lesson. And as Keith had gotten better and better with his aim Lance had touched him during their lessons less and less, beaming at Keith proudly when he’d started to be able to hit the targets with more accuracy and precision. 

And of course, there were the times when Lance would pull him aside just so they could spend time alone, rare as the chance was. The crow’s nest was Lance’s favorite spot for this, forcing Keith to climb all the way up the highest mast just for the chance to watch the sun as it set or rose, leaning into Keith’s body in a way that could easily be explained by the small amount of space the nest contained but could also just as easily be attributed to Lance wanting to drape himself all over Keith as much and as often as possible.

Even in battle Lance managed to treat him specially. Keith had never thought about it before now, had always just chalked it up to him and Lance having compatible fighting styles, but Lance always had his back, was always right beside Keith ready to watch his blind spots and avenge any injuries Keith might have thrown himself onto.

Those weren’t even all. When Keith really delved down and thought about it, all of Lance’s interactions with him were different than the rest of the crew. The way he praised Allura’s strength and beauty was different from the way he praised Keith’s, referring to their captain like she was some untouchable goddess, and Keithlike he was… Something infinitely more precious than even that. He called Keith “Darling,” and “Treasure,” whispered it into the top of Keith’s head as he slept after they…

And they kept sleeping together. Not just fucking, but honestly and genuinely sleeping in the same bed, curled around each other like they couldn’t even stand to be apart.

Looking back on all these facts, it was hard NOT to imagine Lance was in love with him, that he really wanted to be Keith’s matelot. In fact, it kind of made Keith feel like an idiot for ever thinking they were casual, no matter how unremarkably their relationship had started. 

Keith had only fallen into bed with Lance because he’d been lonely, and Lance had been so handsome and funny and competent that Keith just hadn’t been able to resist his charms. And then he’d been so GOOD at it that Keith had just let it keep happening, and before he knew it he was actually enjoying Lance’s company as a person and… Jesus. What a mess Keith had gotten himself into.

The thing was, Keith wasn’t sure he was ready for this kind of commitment. He… he still had his reasons for sailing the oceans, and if he tied himself to someone, to Lance like this, it would just make it harder to skip off on his own if he got a hint of the trail he’d set to sea to follow. 

Keith didn’t want to disappoint Lance, but he couldn’t give up on looking for Shiro, either. Last thing Keith had ever heard of him, the ship he’d been working on had been Shanghai’d by pirates, and Keith had been looking for a crew that might know of his whereabouts ever since. He couldn’t just give up because he’d found a place where he wanted to stay… wasn’t making sure Shiro was still alive more important than anything Keith might want?

No… No, the more he thought about it, the more of a terrifying idea entering a matelotage even was. Keith had already lost so much in his life, so many precious things, and it just seemed like acknowledging whatever he had with Lance, putting a name on it would… 

Would just give Keith all that much more to lose. He’d lost his parents, his brother, and even an entire crew full of shipmates in the Blade of Marmora. He didn’t… he didn’t wanna lose whatever he had here, too.

Next to him on the bed, Lance sighed. “I didn’t honestly think you would need to think about it this much… Was it too soon to ask? Or, are you just not a ‘commitment’ type of guy?”

Keith hadn’t realized he’d taken so long to answer, and instantly felt even worse. God, but for all his reservations, it wasn’t like he didn’t wanna be with Lance, didn’t have some secret part of him light up at the thought of the other man wanting to bind himself to Keith like this. What was he supposed to do?

“I don't…” He said eventually, biting his lip. “It’s just a lot to think about. I never considered… entering a relationship like that at all, and it's just. Kind of sudden.”

Lance nodded, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess it is pretty serious business. Sorry for springing it on you like that.” 

And then Lance grabbed for his pants, making to get out of the bed. Keith panicked, knowing that if they left it like this Lance would just never bring it up again and - and Keith would lose his chance.

“It’s not that I don’t want to!” He said suddenly, grabbing at Lance’s arm to keep him in bed for just a little longer, long enough to hopefully work… SOMETHING out. “I just… need to work some things out, before I agree to something like that. I… I never planned on staying on this ship that long, you know?”

Lance settled back in bed, looking at Keith seriously. “If you didn’t plan on staying, why have you been here so long? We’ve made port plenty of times, you could have left at like. Any point over the past two years.”

Keith’s fingers curled into the bedsheets, and his heart filled with shame. Because Lance was right… If Keith had really been dedicated to looking for his brother, shouldn’t he have gotten his own ship again? Or at least looked for his last one, instead of leaving his first mate in charge and letting them sail on without him? A good captain would have died for his crew, and here Keith was gallivanting around with a new crew. Why? Because it was convenient? Because he was having… fun?

“Yeah,” Keith conceded. “You’re right, I should have left. I told myself any ship was fine as long as I was on the water, but I’m not even anywhere near the waters I’m supposed to be looking in.”

Lance’s hand landed on Keith’s. “Looking… for your brother, you mean? You’ve mentioned before that you were missing him, I just figured… I dunno, here was as good a place as any to look for him.”

Keith nodded. “But these waters are already stale, if I was going to run into him by now, I would have. I should… I should still be out there looking for him, attacking any pirate ships I hear of to gather information.”

“And how was that working out for you before, when you had your own crew?” Lance asked, sounding tired. “Here’s just as good a place as any to look for him, isn't it? Or, are you really planning on leaving again? Saving up money to buy or steal a ship and make your own crew from scratch again, all for the sake of…” Lance cut himself off, running a hand through his hair. 

It was Keith’s turn to sigh. “What am I supposed to do, give up on him?”

“No, I didn’t say that, I just...” Lance hesitated, curling his fingers into Keith’s. “I’m just worried that you’re living for his sake, and forgetting to live for your own. Like, if he’s alive at all, wouldn’t he be trying to find you, too? Maybe making yourself stay in one place would make you. I dunno, easier to find?”

Keith hadn’t really considered that. “If he’s alive, I have to find him, Lance.”

A brief silence. “And if he’s not?”

Keith didn’t answer, looking down into the bed covers like they could give him the answers he sought. “Shit,” Lance swore next to him, squeezing his hand. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to… This was supposed to be a HAPPY discussion. I just wanted to… To let you know my intentions. I love you, Keith. And whatever makes you happy, I’ll support it.”

Keith’s breath froze in his throat. “You… love me?” He asked, voice small.

He finally turned back to look at Lance again, and the sniper was smiling affectionately at him. “Well, yeah, of course. I didn’t ask you to marry me just because you’re cute. Clearly, my odds to get you to keep sleeping with me would have been better if I HADN’T asked so. I must have done it out of love.”

Of course, Keith knew in his heart that Lance must love him, but hearing him say it out loud was… another matter entirely. It made Keith wanna say it back, made him want to accept Lance’s proposal and rush to Allura to have her perform the ceremony right away, but…

“...It’s not that I don’t want to… I’m just scared. What if I have to leave, Lance? What if I finally find that clue I need to find Shiro, and I have to leave the Lion’s Pride and her crew?”

Lance just smiled at him again. “Then it’s a good thing you won’t be alone anymore, because I’m gonna follow you no matter what. No matter where you go, how far away your journey takes you, even if it means living on dry land again and giving up my freedom - I’d do anything for you, Keith. I was hoping I’d made that obvious by now.”

Keith’s heart beat double time in his chest, imagining he and Lance together on wild adventures, sailing together - BEING together for the rest of their lives. The thought was huge, and scary, and Keith absolutely wouldn’t give it up for the world. 

“Okay,” Keith croaked out, voice unsteady. “Okay. I… I wanna do it. I wanna marry you, Lance.”

Lance’s laugh was beautiful as sunshine after a storm. “Took you a little convincing, but I’m glad you see things my way.”

Keith threw himself onto Lance, tackling him to the bed with a kiss. Lance’s arms wrapped around his back as he leaned into the kiss with a grin, holding Keith like he was more precious than any treasure the seas had to offer and then some.

“Um, congratulations on the impending matelotage, my friends,” Hunk’s hesitant voice called out from the bunk swinging on the other side of the room. “I do have to request you save any celebrations you might have for like... A time when I’m not in the room to hear it, if you don’t totally mind.”

“Agreed,” said Pidge from the doorway. “Congrats to the couple who’s turn it is to man the sails. My wedding present to you is not to barf all over the room right now.”

Lance threw a boot at her head. She dodged, and it clattered against the doorframe loudly as Pidge cackled off into the ship.

“Well,” Lance said flatly. “It WAS a romantic moment. For like, all of two seconds.”

Keith just smirked at him. “Two seconds of romance? Yeah that sounds like about your stamina levels.”

Lance walloped him with his own pillow. Keith laughed until he ran out of breath, and Lance joined him.

**Author's Note:**

> They found Shiro three months after the wedding on a Naval ship, where they proceeded to kidnap him and turn him to piracy.


End file.
